His Encouragement #67

Good morning, and welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

Trisha, my blogger friend at Joy of Reading, and I decided on calling this post “His Encouragement” because our real source of peace, strength, and security can only come from Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, is our constant! We pray and hope that these Thursday posts become a real encouragement to you and help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. God bless!

---

Today’s Thursday Encouragement comes from:

Job 16:19 (NASB)

Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven. And my Advocate is on high.

AND

1 John 2:1 (ESV)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

An advocate is someone who publicly supports or recommends something or someone. Some synonyms include “champion,” “supporter,” and “promoter.” Jesus Christ is our supreme Advocate.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells me that God in the Old Testament is different from God in the New Testament. Usually, this person will tell me that Old Testament God is mean and cruel and angry and violent, but New Testament God is kind and loving and peaceful. If this were true, God would be schizophrenic, and Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) would be a lie. In case you are like me and memorization is not your strong suit, Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God is unchanging. How He was yesterday is the exact same way He is today.

I was searching for a verse to use for this post when I came across 1 John 2:1. I really like the word advocate, and I LOVE the idea that Jesus is in heaven talking to His Father about me. I wonder what they are talking about. Probably shaking Their heads at all my stupid mistakes. Maybe laughing a time or two at a joke I’ve made. And, perhaps discussing the layout of that room They’ve got planned for me in heaven (it’s probably filled with lots of books … LOL!).

I remembered that I had seen the word advocate in Job and I got a little excited. I love when the Bible gives me evidence to support what I know is God’s Truth. God isn’t schizophrenic. He is loving ALL the time. He was loving during Old Testament times, He was loving during New Testament times, and He is loving today.

Most scholars place Job around the time of Abraham. That’s thousands of years before Jesus walked on this earth in human form. Job is in the Old Testament. Job knows that he has an Advocate in heaven. He didn’t know the name “Jesus Christ” in his time, but Job knew he had a champion advocating on his behalf. Job knew he had Someone on his side. This sounds a lot like love to me.

Jesus was an advocate in Job’s day, He was an advocate in John’s day, and He is an advocate in our day. I love that God, in His infinite love for us, has provided us with a champion, supporter, and promoter. Anyway you look at it God really loves His kids, and that is a major encouragement to me today.

---

NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?

Check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Becca @ The Becca Files

Jenny @ Author Jenny Lynn

Gina @ Stories by Gina

Rebecca @ Rev. Rebecca Writes

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole